Prepare now: Historic, unprecedented storm for southwest Oregon and northwest California
A dangerous storm, possibly historically strong low, is heading towards southwest Oregon and northwest California Tuesday and Wednesday, November 26 and 27, 2019, in the run up to Thanksgiving.
Prepare now for possible impacts, NWS warns.
- Avoid travel on Tuesday and Wednesday, if possible
- Sustained hurricane-force winds well offshore
- Winds gusting to 110 – 130 km/h (70 – 80 mph) in southwest Oregon
- High seas (9 – 11 m / 30 – 35-foot) waves expected
- Snow level around 600 m (2 000 feet)
- Heavy coastal rain/inland and mountain snowfall
- November and all-time record low pressures possible.
Image credit: NOAA/GOES-West, RAMMB/CIRA
The front, extending from the Northern Plains southwestward to Northern California, will move eastward to the Great Lakes and Southward to the Southern Plains by Tuesday. The system will produce light rain and higher elevation snow over parts of the Northwest into the Northern Plains, NWS forecaster Ziegenfelder noted early November 25.
More snow than rain will develop over the U. S./Canadian Border from parts of the Northern Plains to the Upper Great Lakes overnight Sunday that will move into parts of the Great Lakes and wind down by Tuesday morning.
Upper-level energy over the Eastern Pacific will move southeastward to the Great Basin/Southwest by Monday evening.
The energy will aid in producing snow over the Cascades into the Northern Rockies/Great Basin, on Monday, that will expand into the Central/Southern Rockies and parts of the Southwest overnight Monday.
The energy will aid in developing a wave of low pressure over the Central/Southern Rockies overnight Monday that will lift northward from the Southern High Plains into parts of the Central Plains by Tuesday evening.
In addition, snow will start to move out of the Central High Plains overnight Monday into the Central Plains and into parts of the Middle/Upper Mississippi Valley by Tuesday evening.
Also on Tuesday, rain and thunderstorms will develop over parts of the Middle/Lower Mississippi Valley and parts of the Western Ohio Valley/Southern Plains.
Meanwhile, a developing storm over the Eastern Pacific will move onshore over parts of California/Pacific Northwest on Tuesday evening.
The storm will bring strong wind and rain with higher elevation snow over parts of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday evening.
Featured image: GFS wind gusts model – 04:00 UTC on November 27, 2019. Credit: Windy, GFS
I live 100 miles south of the Oregon border. The 10 day forecast shows that Wed/Thurs/Friday evenings will all be close to or at record lows. Thursday night is forecast for 10/11 degrees F. That would be 1 or 2 degrees into a new record being set. All of that is inset within a 6 day period with night lows or 22 F or lower. The only plus side is that the snow/rain will ease the local and very late fire season.